The Gospel According to Galatians

Chapter 5, actually, Galatians, just the book of Galatians. So, I think I'm just going to dive right in and uh share what God has laid on my heart um for the past couple weeks. This is something that uh I've come to enjoy to actually read about, although it's something that should have been my my entire life. Um but tonight, we're going to talk about the gospel. And we're going to talk about the gospel according to Galatians. the past couple weeks and Sunday nights we've done um just what it means to be a Christian and that living out the faith that we have and Pastor John talked about how the motivation behind that what really drives that and so tonight um I'm going to try to combine those two as well and continue this thought on being humble servants of the Lord or being um children of Christ or of God.

And so I want to take you to the the beginning of it all and then I'll take you to Galatians. And so what is the gospel? Um really is the question that I want to ask and we will answer as we go through this um lesson tonight. But in the beginning God created Adam and Eve for himself. He created mankind for himself. That was our ultimate purpose is to glorify God. It's to please God. But sin was introduced by way of the devil when he tempted Eve then Adam. Both of them they ate of that fruit and because of that they broke God's law. They missed the mark and that's what we call sin. And sin entered the world.

Uh uh Paul said it this way in Romans. By one man sin entered into the world and we know that to be from Adam. And because of sin the world starts to deteriorate and death is now a reality for humankind. But God is so good and that he already had a plan established even at this time because in Genesis chapter number three verse number 15, God promised to the devil that the seed of the woman would crush Satan. So sin though continues to destroy the world because as we read from Genesis 1 to Genesis chapter number 11 a lot is happening. Genesis chapter 6 is is horrible because the sin is magnified and and then we see the flood and the consequence of sin.

We see the tower of babel in gal in Genesis chapter number 11. Sin messes up what God has created to be good. But God's plan was still going to continue. And that plan continues through a man by the name of Abraham. Because in Genesis chapter number 12, God chooses Abraham. And it is through Abraham's seed, the nation of Israel, that God will continue this promise that he has given in the beginning in Genesis chapter number three. But you know what's interesting? And we'll actually find it in Galatians chap uh Galatians. And I won't highlight it as much, but what's interesting about Abraham is that God gave Abraham a promise and said, "I will fulfill this promise."

But what did Abraham do? He tried to do it on his own. And what I mean by that, God gave Abraham a promise that he will bless him with generations to come with seed from his own. And then Abraham looked at his family and realized that his wife is so old and she's barren and there's no way that this could be a reality. So what happened? They find Hagar and they try to do it on their own. And we know that the seed of Hagar is just becomes an enemy of the children of God. But that was not God's promise. God's promise was that he was going to do it on his his way and on his own. And that promise was going to be through Isaac.

And Isaac was a miracle because how can a an old lady, an old woman who is about 75 years old give birth? It's impossible. But it but God, it was God that was going to do the work. And so God blesses Abraham by giving him what he said he what he promised him to do. And so we have Isaac, then we have um Jacob and Esau, but Jacob is now the the the one that the seed will continue through. And then we have the 12 patriarchs. and and the rest of the Old Testament is really a story of God wanting to use a nation to bless the world. Because in Genesis 12, God said he will bless those who bless you and he will curse those who curse you.

God wanted to bless the world through Israel. But as we read the Old Testament, that's actually not the reality because the the relationship that the Israelites had with God was a roller coaster. And at the end of the Old Testament, this is in in our um lineup of how we we have lined up the books of the Old Testament, but Malachi records a nation that is tired, that is pretty much at their wits end because they have gone to captivity. They've disobeyed God and they they're just tired. And in the book of Malachi, we see a nation that was chosen by God to be the vehicle of blessing. We see a nation that is now giving to God their second best.

They're giving to God offerings that are sick. They're giving to God offerings that are not the best. And and God actually reminds them in Malachi chapter number one, he says um he says, "I have loved you." And then he asked them, "But you tell me, wherein have I loved you?" What God was telling Israel by the book in the book of Malachi was, "You can see the track record. I showed you my love since the beginning and you keep telling me that I have not showed you my love since the beginning." And so God actually had to remind them in the book of Malachi is it's so sad because at the end of the book of Malachi, it's just we don't know ultimately what happens to the nation of Israel.

But between the book of Malachi and the New Testament, we are given the gospels. Um scholars as have estimated and according to scripture that there's about a 400 years of of silence where God had not spoken to is the Israelites. But what's amazing was in Luke chapter number two, there's a man by the name of Simeon. And Simeon goes to this temple. And if you want to read more, read Luke chapter 2. But Simeon has been waiting on God to fulfill his promise that he gave in the Old Testament. So when when Simeon was holding baby Jesus, he looked down and the Bible says that he blessed God because he realized that God has not left them.

And as he blessed God, he couldn't help but be in awe. He just he he just admitted like, "I can die happy now because I have seen the consolation of Israel." And Simeon actually knew the purpose of why Jesus was born because he looks at Mary and he says, "Bless you, Mary, because there's going to be a sword that pierces your heart." And Simeon knew that the promise that was given in the Old Testament is going to be fulfilled in this baby Jesus who he understands to be the Messiah, the promised one, the one that fulfills scripture, the one that fulfills prophecies. And so Jesus is now on earth, the son of God is now on earth.

And the Bible says this as Jesus is now um going public with his ministry. He is baptized by John the Baptist and afterward he's doing his ministry. He meets a man by the name of Nicodemus. Nicodemus was a religious leader. Nicodemus had studied scripture and Nicodemus came to Jesus and said, "How can I be saved?" And Jesus said, "You must be born again." How can a how can somebody who has studied scripture, who has obeyed the laws of God, not know how to get saved? And Jesus simply tells him, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Because God didn't send his son to condemn the world, but that the the world through him might be saved. It is through Jesus Christ that the world can be saved. Paul said it this way in Romans chapter 5 verse number 8. He says, "But God commended his love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Paul said, "The wages of sin is death, though." And the problem is that sin has consequence and there is a payment that is required because of sin. We we serve a God that is loving. Yes. But we also serve a God that the angels call holy, holy, holy, holy. The Bible says for eternity they will call God holy, holy, holy.

And what that means is sin cannot be where God is. And that's why a payment or a sacrifice needed to be made in order for us human beings to be able to have a relationship with a holy God. And 1 Peter chapter number 1 18-19 says this. For as much as you know that you were not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious precious blood of Jes of Christ as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. It is only through Jesus Christ that Jesus Christ's blood that we are made holy. Paul said in Ephesians chapter number 2 8 and 9.

For by grace are you saved through faith. It is not of yourselves. It is the gift of God not of works lest any man should boast. The gospel is that Jesus Christ came to die for mankind for himself. Paul said it clearly in 1 Corinthians chapter number 15 verse 1-4. I declare unto you the gospel that Christ died according to the scripture was buried and he rose again according to the scripture. The gospel is simply this. The gospel is that God loves the world and the world is not necessarily the trees or the planet that we live on. God loves the ones that he gave that he said after he created that it is good which is mankind.

The gospel is that Christ died for our sins and the penalty of our sins instead of it coming to us is now placed on Jesus Christ who nailed it to that cross. But something happened in Galatia as Paul is writing to this church. The gospel is really God's plan to save the world and to rescue mankind. And the only way for somebody to get saved is actually for repentance to happen for faith in Jesus Christ. The Bible says this in Matthew chapter number 4 verse number 17. This is Jesus before he goes to preach the sermon on the mount. And before he preaches the sermon on the mount, he says this, "Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

Simply believing that God exists is not enough to save you because the devil understands that there is a God. The demons believe that there is a God. It is fully trusting that he is right and you are wrong because of what he says in his word. That is what saves. And turning from your sin happens because you acknowledge that if God is right, then what I'm doing is wrong. Then I'm gonna turn my sin from my sin and turn to God and trust what he says because that is what is right. That was the gospel. But something happened in the church of Galatia where there's these people that are now coming in and they're perverting the gospel.

They're they're adding on to the gospel. Paul uses the word these people have perverted. Meaning they've twisted it. They've made it impure. And Paul is so shocked and amazed and in awe that these Christians in Galatia would be so quick to turn away from the true gospel to another gospel. And then Paul says that's not even another gospel cuz there's only one true gospel. And the true gospel as I've said is the fact that you get saved by faith in Jesus Christ. But what was happening was there was these people that were coming in and they're adding on the law of Moses to the gospel. And when they saw it, it was it was mainly Jewish um scholars or Jewish people that knew or studied the law that were coming into these churches in Galatia that were spreading this false perverted gospel and saying that you need to be circumcised or you need to do this.

And the main problem is circumcision here that they highlighted the most in the book of Galatia or Galatians. But they're pretty much adding something else on top of the gospel. And they're saying that if you don't do this, then you're not saved. And you know what Paul says? Paul said this in Galatians chapter 1. said, "If I or anybody else preaches to you another gospel which is not the gospel, let him be accursed." You know what that means? If you're preaching the gospel and you're telling people that they need to change their life first, that they need to do this and they need to do that, then they can be saved, you have perverted the gospel because that is not the gospel.

The gospel is so clear and so simple. And I think that's why we get it wrong because we think it needs to be hard. We have to earn it. We have to do this and that. But you know what's amazing? God didn't wait until he felt like humankind was worthy enough for his son to die for humankind. Then Jesus Christ can come to die for us. It wasn't that the gospel, which is the truth of Jesus p purchasing us with his blood, has now been perverted by these people that are coming into Galatia. But there's another person that actually perverted the gospel in um Galatia. And we know him because he spent three years with Jesus.

He actually was such a strong follower of Jesus um that the Bible says that these disciples they turned the world upside down. But a after Jesus had ascended this man preached to the Jewish people. And after he preached to the Jewish people at the day of Pentecost about 3,000 souls got saved. His name is Peter. And Peter in Galatians chapter number two is pressured into perverting the gospel because there's some people that are coming into Antioch in Galatians chapter 2. Certain someone is what Paul says that are coming in that that came with um that knew James. They came in and before they came, Peter was living in liberty in the gospel.

He wasn't sinning, but he was free from the law and therefore he wasn't practicing the law. He was living with the Jews. He was eating with Oh, not the Jews. He was eating with the Gentiles. He was spending time with the Gentiles. So when this person came in or when these people came in and they saw Peter, Peter immediately separated himself from the Gentiles. And it was so bad that the Bible says that Barnabas, we know Barnabas because he was uh helping Paul a lot. Barnabas even believed Peter's hypocrisy or the hypocrisy that these Christians were now putting on. And Paul said this in Galatians chapter number two.

Let me just turn there so I can read it. Colossians uh Galatians sorry Galatians chapter number two and verse number 14. But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, if thou being a Jew livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compelst thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews? And what Paul is saying is, you've been living in freedom with the Gentiles for so long. Why are you now compelling these Gentiles to live like the Jews, to uphold the law of Moses, to do the things that you have been freed from because of the gospel.

And it's amazing because Paul, we would say, would be kind of a newcomer on the stage and he's correcting somebody that knew Jesus directly and yet this person also perverted the gospel and Paul had to call him out. I think it's very important that we ourselves understand what the gospel is so if somebody else tries to pervert it that we would be able to say hey that's not right that's not what scripture says in Galatians chapter number 2 verse uh 20 the Bible says this I am crucified with Christ nevertheless I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.

You know, I I um memorized this scripture as a teenager and we had it as a theme verse for camp one time. Um it's such a good verse to memorize, but often times I forget that it's there's a context of this verse. And the reason why Paul is actually quoting this is to prove the point that the law is dead. It is the law of Christ that now lives in me, which is Christ living in me. I am not obligated to live what the law says. I am obligated to live out what Christ the law of Christ. In verse number 21, he says here, I do not frustrate the grace of God, for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.

What Paul is saying here, I think it's pretty clear. What Paul is saying is if I am going to rely on the law to make me righteous, then what Christ did was for nothing. That means that Christ dying on the cross was pointless. The grace of God is the fact that I did not deserve it, but it was God's love that he saved me. Paul continues in chapter number three. He calls the Galatian Christians foolish. If you uh turn to Galatians 3:1, he says, "Oh foolish Galatians who had bewitched you that you should not obey the truth before whose eyes Jesus Christ had been evidently set forth crucified among you."

Um, you know what the Greek word for the word foolish here is? It's stupid. You guys are stupid. It's actually not what it means. the the idea of foolish is actually senseless when you're not thinking when you're not thinking about what is the truth and you're easily swayed by this other thing that is coming and Paul is Paul is saying you know better like you know the gospel I gave it to you so why are you so easily swayed by this other gospel he says in verse number three are you so foolish having begun in the spirit are you now made perfect by the flesh. It's amazing. This is the thought that a lot of us Christians have is that I got saved by grace, by faith, that's good.

But after salvation, I need to earn my place with God still. And that is not true. And what Paul is saying is it's not about me performing for God because I'm already accepted by God because of the gospel. I've been made righteous by God. I am holy because of Jesus Christ's blood. I have a right standing with God and because of that I am free in him. But so many times we get discouraged. And so when we sin we say, "Oh man, God doesn't love me anymore." And when we mess up, we say, "Oh man, God doesn't God's not going to put his favor on me." But it's not just when we sin. Sometimes it's, "Man, I forgot to give out a gospel track to this person.

I'm a horrible person." Or, "I missed my devotion today. What kind of a Christian am I?" It's not just the the sin that that we have this mindset with. It's also the good things that we should do out of love for Christ, but we're doing it out of duty. So therefore, it's now a a task that we have to manage. And every time we fail, we have this idea that, oh, I'm a failure. That is not what the gospel does. The gospel changes us. In chapter 5 and six, Paul shows us what our response should be to the gospel. Pastor John has been saying, there's um a few letters that Paul writes that he really goes heavy on the doctrine side of um Christianity.

And Paul highlights like this is truth, but because of truth, here's how you can live it out. Like Romans chapters 1 to believe it's um 10 or 11, it's it's doctrineheavy. And it it wasn't it isn't until chapters 12- 16 that we get the practicality of okay now, how can I live as a Christian because of this knowledge of what I know of God? And it's the same with the the letter to the Galatians. Paul is reminding them and correcting them and teaching them truth. But now he in ver in chapters five and six he is now going to show them what the resp their response should be to the gospel. This is what a life changed by the gospel would look like.

He says stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ had made us free and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. What he's saying is the gospel has already set you free from the bondage of the law, bondage of sin. But then he goes on to say only use not your liberty for an occasion for the flesh. Because I think that's that's something that we run to a lot is that okay, I'm free to do whatever I want. And that's not that's not scripture at all. That's not what the Bible says. Paul reminds us in Romans 6, shall we continue and sin that God um that grace should abound? God forbid.

There's a place for that. In um verse number 22, the Bible says this, "But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. Against such there is no law, and they that are Christ have crucified the flesh with the affection and lust." If if we live in the spirit, let us also walk in the spirit. You want to know the key to the Christian life? What what the key is? It's here. It's to walk in the spirit. And and verse number 22 paints the picture of an ideal Christian. I wish to this could be me, but sometimes I fail, but it can be actually because I have the spirit.

And it's it's the same for you because you're saved. God has given you the Holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit is the one that enables you to be able to live out these things. But what's amazing is that when you read this verse, verse number 22, he doesn't say, "But the fruits of the spirit is or are." He says, "But the fruit of the spirit is love." It's singular. And um Sam is here. Sam, give me that word that you said as we were studying this. What's the word? You Yes. Yeah. What was it? Concatenation. Concatenation. I think I said that wrong. What that means is this is these are fruits that are growing at the same time.

So it's not like oh you know what today I struggle with love I'll just focus on love. It's not about the fruits. It's actually about walking in the spirit because when you walk in the spirit these fruits will follow. So if you wake up grumpy then that means you're walking in the flesh. If if if you hate your neighbor, you're walking in the flesh. If you cannot forgive somebody, you're walking in the flesh. It name it. Whatever sin you have, if you are struggling with this sin, it's most likely because you're not walking in the spirit. We know people like this who maybe struggle with an illness and it's a hard illness, an illness that should cause someone to be depressed, but when you look at them, there's so much joy.

That's a person that walks in the spirit. Somebody that doesn't bite back is somebody that is walking in the spirit. In chapter six, Paul continues to commend what the the new life in Christ is like because of the gospel. And this new life, he says, "Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if a man thinkketh himself to be something when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself." You know, as Paul is writing these letters to these churches, he's always encouraging them to be together. like he's always encouraging them to look out for each other, to bear one another's burdens, to love one another, to care for one another.

Like there's just huge emphasis that Paul puts on the Christians being a church and loving each other. And he says here, when you do that, you actually fulfill the law of Christ. It was an interesting thought, but the this church in Galatia um they are so interested in the law because of these people that are coming in and perverting the gospel. And so they're they're they're focused now on, okay, so what law should we follow? Or what law shouldn't we follow? And here Paul is just like, okay, you want the law, let me give you the law. Bear ye one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ.

What is the law of Christ? Jesus Christ said it clearly. Love God and love people. When you think about the ten commandments, the first couple commandments, it's it's all about God. But the rest of it, it's about your neighbor. Love God, love people. That is how you fulfill the law of Christ. But it's interesting because he says, "For if a man think himself to be something when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself." Why would Paul say that? Paul is saying, "If you think you're so good you cannot help your neighbor, you're nothing. If you think you're you're so good that you cannot help your brother or sister in Christ, you are nothing."

Because if the gospel has changed your life, you will look at people and love them, especially your brothers and sisters in Christ. In Galatians chapter number 6 verse number 15, he says, "For in Christ Jesus, neither circum circumcision availth anything nor uncircumcision, but a new creature." A person that has accepted the gospel, who has received the gospel, their lives will be transformed by the gospel. And I guess the question tonight would be this, have you actually accepted the gospel? Have you actually received the gospel? And if so, has your life been transformed by it? like can can you honestly say that I am not the same anymore because I know Jesus Christ.

Um I'll end with this but there's a a real story in in Mark chapter number five and it's a story of a man that has been isolated that is by himself that is an outcast that is just beyond repair beyond saving. And the Bible says that this person is from the Gatherines and he's living among tombs. And the reason why he's living among the tombs is because he's actually demonpossessed. And the Bible says that Jesus Christ and his disciples came to the gatherines and this man comes running out, falls on his knees and starts shouting. And it's actually the demons in him that are shouting at Jesus. Jesus, thou son of God, what have you to do with us or with me?

And the Bible says that the demon describes himself to be a legion. And in Roman terms, that's about 2,000 soldiers. That's a lot of people to be possessing a man. Bible describes this man as somebody who cannot be subdued. He's living. He's being chained up by these tombs. But the Bible says that he would break the chains. He would break the shackles, the feathers that are on his feet. Nothing. There's nobody nobody could help this guy. The people are tired. They They're not able to help him. And so Jesus has this interaction with these um these demons that are in this man. And the demons are like, "Don't cast us away far away.

Just cast us into those pigs that are on the mountain." If you want to read more about it, go to Mark chapter 5. But there's some swine or some pigs that are on the mountain and there's people that are caring for these pigs. This is a gentile town. So um you can because of the pigs there. Um and so the um Jesus approves their request. He sends the demons into the pigs. The pigs come down the hill. They go into the water. They drown the people. They witness the whole situation. They're mad because their pigs are dead. So they go to the town. They tell everybody else, "Hey, something is happening outside by the tombs.

Our pigs are dead, our livelihood. And so they bring the people out and the people they notice something is they come out in Mark chapter number 5 verse number 15. The Bible says this, "And they come to Jesus and see him that was possessed with the devil and had the legion sitting and clothed and in his right mind." and they were afraid. That's a real story because Jesus is involved in it and this is a Mark is telling us that this is a real event. But what you know what it is as well? It's an illustration of the gospel because we were isolated and we were separated. And God in the beginning of the garden said to the devil, "The seed of this woman is going to crush you."

And in John 3:16, for God so loved the world, he gave his son that we could have everlasting life. And we were in darkness, isolated, alone. And Jesus Christ was the one that did the work to come to save us. You know what this man had to do to be clothed, sitting, and in his right mind? Nothing. Nothing. And we have we don't do anything to get saved. We don't do the work as far. We don't do that part of it. It is simply what Jesus Christ had did on the cross that saves us. So God saw us and he rescued us and that is what the gospel is. And this man was in darkness, but you can see the immediate change how he's now saying and and in fact the rest of the story goes he is begging Jesus and Jesus take me I want to go with you and Jesus said no go back share the truth to your family and he goes and he spreads the good news and the Bible says that many praise the Lord because of what God has done in this man's life.

There is a transformation that is taking place in this man's life. So I ask you the question again, have you accepted the gospel? Do you actually believe that Jesus Christ came to save you? And if he has, if you if you have accepted the gospel, does your life show transformation? Like are you actually living out the gospel? Let's pray. Father, we love you. We thank you for being so good. Thank you for the truth of the gospel. Thank you for just Paul's heart in wanting to make sure that the Christians who are already saved, who have already accepted the gospel, would understand that they got saved not because of what they have done, but simply because they put their faith in Jesus Christ.

So I pray, Father, that if there's anybody here who does not know, I pray that you would give them the opportunity to get saved, Lord, to accept the gospel. And I pray, Father, for my brothers and sisters who are saved. I pray that you would challenge them to live lives that are worthy of the gospel because of what you have done for them. And so, Father, we love you so much and we thank you. In Jesus name we pray.